In The Black Calhouns, Gail Lumet Buckley--daughter of actress Lena
Horne--delves deep into her family history, detailing the experiences of
an extraordinary African American family from Civil War to civil rights.
Beginning with her great-great-grandfather, Moses Calhoun, a house slave
who used the rare advantage of his education to become a successful
businessman in postwar Atlanta, Buckley follows her family's two
branches: one that stayed in the South and the other that settled in
Brooklyn. Through the lens of her relatives' momentous lives, Buckley
examines major events throughout American history. From Atlanta during
Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow to New York City during the
Harlem Renaissance, and then from World War II to the Civil Rights
Movement, this ambitious, brilliant family witnessed and participated in
the most crucial events of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Combining personal and national histories, The Black Calhouns is a
unique and vibrant portrait of six generations during dynamic times of
struggle and triumph.